Daily Readings
Monday January 31
Monday of 4th Week in Ordinary Time
DON BOSCO: MAN OF HIS TIME
In the beginning of the 19th Century, social concern was almost inexistent and poverty considered an insoluble problem, with children as the great victims. Especially in cities they grew up in alleys and slums and roamed the streets. Turin had thousands of them. Don Bosco took the initiative to care for these neglected children and youth. His sensitive heart and his firm guidance could bring them together to give them shelter and an education. He understood them and made himself accepted by them. He had a hard time to change the mentality of politicians and Church leaders and to spur them to do something about the problem, but he succeeded little by little. In all his difficulties he kept his good cheer.
First Reading : 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13
Someone came to David with the report, “The whole country has taken up with !”
“Up and out of here!” called David to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem. “We’ve got to run for our lives or none of us will escape Absalom! Hurry, he’s about to pull the city down around our ears and slaughter us all!”
The king directed Zadok the priest, “Here’s the plan: Return to the city peacefully, with Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, with you. I’ll wait at a spot in the wilderness across the river, until I get word from you telling us what’s up.” So Zadok and Abiathar took the Chest of God back to Jerusalem and placed it there, while David went up the Mount of Olives weeping, head covered but barefooted, and the whole army was with him, heads covered and weeping as they ascended.
When the king got to Bahurim, a man appeared who had connections with Saul’s family. His name was Shimei son of Gera. As he followed along he shouted insults and threw rocks right and left at David and his company, servants and soldiers alike. To the accompaniment of curses he shouted, “Get lost, get lost, you butcher, you hellhound! God has paid you back for all your dirty work in the family of Saul and for stealing his kingdom. God has given the kingdom to your son Absalom. Look at you now—ruined! And good riddance, you pathetic old man!”
Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “This mangy dog can’t insult my master the king this way—let me go over and cut off his head!”
But the king said, “Why are you sons of Zeruiah always interfering and getting in the way? If he’s cursing, it’s because God told him, ‘Curse David.’ So who dares raise questions?”
“Besides,” continued David to Abishai and the rest of his servants, “my own son, my flesh and bone, is right now trying to kill me; compared to that this Benjaminite is small potatoes. Don’t bother with him; let him curse; he’s preaching God’s word to me. And who knows, maybe God will see the trouble I’m in today and exchange the curses for something good.”
David and his men went on down the road, while Shimei followed along on the ridge of the hill alongside, cursing, throwing stones down on them, and kicking up dirt.
Gospel: Mark 5:1-20
They arrived on the other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes. As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. He lived there among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him—he couldn’t be chained, couldn’t be tied down. He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough to tame him. Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones.
When he saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him—then bellowed in protest, “What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don’t give me a hard time!” (Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, “Out! Get out of the man!”)
Jesus asked him, “Tell me your name.”
He replied, “My name is Mob. I’m a rioting mob.” Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country.
A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs so we can live in them.” Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.
Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man.
Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.
Prayer
Lord our God,
with you and with your Son Jesus
Don Bosco loved the young
and dedicated his life and that of his Congregation
to their education and care.
Dispose your Church and its leaders
and also all parents,
to pay very much attention
to the formation and development of the young,
who are our hope for the future.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reflection:
Let not even one may be lost …
The herd of about 2000 swine could not stand the number of evil spirits that had possessed one man of the territory of Gerasenes. When Jesus drove out the legion from this possessed man, they went into the herd of swine, but those animals opted to die than to be possessed by the legion. The herd of swine prefer death to a life of being possessed.
A person living in sin is under the possession of the evil forces. And he /she is not even aware of how bad his/her condition is. But Jesus takes the initiative to come in search of this person to set him free. The only thing Jesus could do in this region was to heal this person from the legion, and then he was forced to leave their shores. It appeared as if his only purpose of crossing over the sea was to save this one man from the demons. Do we not see here the image of a shepherd who goes in search of his one lost sheep and once he finds it, he returns home?
After the Ascension of Jesus, the disciples travelled to far off places, bringing the message of Jesus, fighting the forces of evil. The reaction of the townsfolks in today’s gospel represents reaction of people to the Message of Jesus. People were furious at their financial loss and cared little about the healing of the possessed man.
Even today, for a lot of people, even among our Catholic friends, it is difficult to choose between financial gains or personal benefits and matters of faith. How often do we make the excuses for failing to take care of our spiritual life because we have something more important to do. We are not any different from the people of Gerasenes.
Saving one lost sheep was good enough for the continuation of the mission. The man who got cured, went around the whole regions of the Ten Cities – the Decapolis – and proclaimed what Jesus had done for him. God has his own ways of reaching his people, because after all, it is his Mission.
If you feel God is calling you for his mission, do not look for excuses!
Do not be disheartened when faced with absence of response or rejection from the people.
Efficacy of the Mission is not measured according to the number of baptisms! – go in search of the lost sheep, even if only one was lost. There are hundreds of sick people or homeless people around us. Do not be disheartened by the magnitude of the problem and your helplessness. Instead, let us show our attention to all of them.